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What To Do If You Find A Pigeon Egg

The first thing to do if you find a pigeon egg or eggs is if you can see the nest then it is best to place the eggs back in the nest so that nature can take it’s course and the eggs can be hatched and the chicks can be raised by the pigeon. if this is not possible then you may want to try to incubate the eggs and try to get them to hatch out.

I often get asked what to do when pigeoneggs are found.

hi, last night i found 2 pigeoneggs on my balcony, they had only been there for a couple of hours, there were no pigeons around so i brought them in and wraped them in a blanket and put them under a lamp to warm them back up, does anyone no if this was the right or wrong thing to do or of they are even still alive, and is there anything i can do to help them servive and hatch?
Any help is welcome, Sam

Hi Sam,

Thanks for leaving a comment.
I think that you did the right thing in keeping the eggs warm. If you cannot see the nest then taking the eggs was the right thing to do as it is unlikely that the pigeons would be able to get the eggs back to the nest. If you can see the nest and it is possible to place the eggs back in the nest then I would do this. If this is not possible then I would candle the eggs to see if they are fertile and have pigeon chicks inside.

Candling is a way of checking the fertility of an egg and the development of the embryo, with the use of a light source in a darkened room. In a darkened room, carefully hold the egg up to the light to observe the contents of the egg.Here is a link for more information about candling eggs.http://www.farmingfriends.com/candling-eggs/

If the eggs are fertile and have chicks inside then I would incubate the eggs or find someone who is able to do this, or keep the eggs under the lamp and regularly turn them.

I would probably contact my local animal santuary or RSPB to find out advice from them.

Hope this information helps.
Let me know how you get on.

Kind regards
sara @ farmingfriends

hi i have just found a pigeon egg and i do not no if i should put it under a lamp or in the airing cupboard???????

any help welcome

asap, caitlin

Hi Caitlin,
Thanks for your question. If you can see the pigeon nest and you are able to put the egg back then I would try to do this.
If you are not able to do this then I would put the egg in a box and place in the airing cupboard. You could check the temperature to see if it is around 99.5 degrees fahrenheit, you can also put in a damp face cloth or dish cloth to get the humidity and just keep making sure the cloth stays damp.
Alternatively you could put the egg in a box under a lamp and again I would check the temperature. I think that the airing cupboard is a good idea if you can achieve the correct temperature.
Then in around 17 days the egg may hatch out. You could candle the egg to see if it is fertile and has a chick inside.Here is a link for more information about candling eggs.http://www.farmingfriends.com/candling-eggs/
Hope this is useful.
Let me know how you get on.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends

If you have any advice for what to do if you find a pigeon egg then please leave a comment. Thanks.

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42 thoughts on “What To Do If You Find A Pigeon Egg”

Hi, we have recently rescued a pigeon who is very injured, (by a cat or something else) we are keeping it in a rabbit hutch and thismorning we went out to see if it’s okay and it has Layed an egg but the pigeon won’t sit on it or anything! However, I have candled it and there is a chick inside, but my mum won’t let me incubate it. I really want to save it, please convince her:) many thanks-Erin x

We have a pair of feral pigeons which recently laid 2 eggs. For the first week, i noticed that they started to incubate the eggs. One time while I was checking their nest, one off the eggs keep falling on a small opening in the nest box. I would always pick it up using a tissue and check for cracks. After a few days I could see the embryo inside the two eggs (did the flashlight method). This all went well until I notice that both parents were not sitting on their eggs for how many days now. I am worried that the eggs will spoil. It would be a shame because both eggs are already fertilized. Is this a normal pigeon behavior to abandon their eggs? Did I disturb them by picking one of their eggs whenever it falls down the nestbox?

Hi, we found a pigeon egg outside on our patio. It was raining heavily at the time. We brought it in and wrapped it in tissue and not sure what we should do. THe egg has a little chip on the outer layer of the shell but, it is not broken thru the shell. The egg has a strong bad odour. Is this egg a good egg or bad egg? What to do?

hi, i was just wondering, when a pigeon lays an egg, do they continue to make the nest? cause i’ve got a pigeon making a nest in my tree, and i was wondering if there is a possibility of the egg already beiing there? xx

Hi I just found a baby bird’s egg on my potted plant! But it doesn’t have a nest covering it or nothing, it’s just sitting there on top of the soil. what should I do? Should I check to see if there’s a baby inside by lighting up a candle? and if so do I need to warm the egg myself or leave it on the potted plant?

Hi, I have just found a pigeon egg on my balcony no nest or pigeons in sight, I have it in a box with a towel and was just wondering about the damp cloth do I put it over the egg? I hope I have done the right thing and i haven’t got any lamps so have put it in my airing cupboard but i don’t have a thermometer so can’t find the temperature out do you have any ideas on how to do so please?

hi my little brother has found a pigeon chick and it looks to have fallen out of a nest, however there are no injuries. I am just wondering what to feed it as we have succesfully raised goslings. Can it eat chick crumbs or maybe hard-boiled eggs mashed up. We have looked around there are no obvious nests or pigeons in the shed where we found it what shall I do?

Hi my name is Katerina.
I found a egg 2 days ago. Not sure what to do
The nest was broken and no mother was around
I’m not sure if is alive. I don’t see the anything in side
So I’m thinking it’s a new egg. If it survived I would like to
Hatch it. But not sure what I need to use to do all this.
If you can tell me if it’s alive and how I can take care of it then
That would be greatly appreciated.

Hi I recently found a pidgeon on my balconey, it has laid two eggs, this would normally not be a problem, however it attacks anyone who goes outside, is there any way I can calm it down or show it that i dont want to harm its eggs, i need to dry my washing out there so its a bit of an inconvienence. thanks 🙂

My pigeon laid an egg that was left cold for the night. will this have affected the embrio? the male is sitting on the egg now and I’m expecting another soon. How long can they be cold before incubation? Thankyou.

um well i found (i think its a chicken egg) in aq corner half burried and a lil cold, i waited for 2 mins but notin happened so i am looking after the egg and how do i look after it and wat do i do ????

the other eggs the take turns to lay on them the father at day and the mother at night and i dont know if they had a mate. i have four pigeons 2 male and 2 female. the other two wont lay any and the other two eggs have been there for about 1 and a half weeks i dont know yet if they are fertile and i dont know what to do if they are ferrtile because they are outside in a coube and the nights are cold so i dont know if the tempeture in good or bad

Trevor John – Clovelly, Cape Town.
Hope you can help, We have two Pigeon eggs in a nest on our balcony. The Mother left them for about 2 hours at air temp. of about 15 degrees then returned and has been sitting on the ever since – will they still be OK.

hai,
im from india, i bought two pegions from a store, and they laid eggs and the baby pegions came out from the eggs and are five days old. and i heard that the pegions can get friendly to us if they were taken care from their child hood, so please let me know how to make them friendly towards me. or else pls give me an site which explains the process.
thank you.

I found a pigeon egg (at least i think it is, it is small and white) in my garden underneath our oak tree. It is a tiny bit cracked but it hasn’t leaked or anything. I have a shoebox and I’m planning to keep it warm in the airing cupboard just in case it would hatch.

Hi there are now two pigeon eggs on my wondwbox in a flowerpot and a pigeon siting there nursing..Ive put some gbreadcrumbs outsde..its right near my wondow and frankly Im wondering aout the hygeines..there is poo everywhere even a tiny bit on my carpet..I want to help nurture but dont know how and want also to be safe..I have a very rasoing chest (and a vivid imagination0 .Im two floors up with a deadly concrete carpak for a ‘garden’ several feet belw..an egg wouldnt survive the drop..I am trying not to disturb but this is a dark flat and id prefer to pull the vurtains and open this french door..id neglected the box since my springflowers as I ahve been very busy but feel guilty now..ive given the pigeon some bread but dont know how this can contunie for another two or three weeks(especially as the neighbours already dont like it..)its a follw on from the eccentric old lady who lived here before-she clearly encouraged them madly..there was poo on the railings when I moved in three years ago but then for two years barely a bird..this is nice but Im out of my depth..please suggest!! many thanks Claire

Hi Sam,
I don’t have experience of hatching pigeon eggs. It may be that the pigeon chick is developing inside the egg. Are you able to candle the eggs to see what is inside?http://farmingfriends.com/candling-eggs/
How long have you had the eggs – they usually take 17-18 days to hatch.
Hope the pigeon eggs hatch ok.
Kind regards
sara @ farmingfriends

There are two pigeon eggs on my balcony but no nest. The mom is out there sitting on them but she leaves from time to time and they are left on the concrete floor in 5 degree Celcius weather (41 F). I’m concerned they might get cold and die even with the mom’s attention. Is there something I should do or should I just let them be?

Hi Lisa,
There are certain conditions needed to incubate and hatch.
You need to check the temperature to see if it is around 99.5 degrees fahrenheit, you can also put in a damp face cloth or dish cloth to get the humidity and just keep making sure the cloth stays damp. I wouldn’t put the damp cloth around the eggs just near them so that it creates the humidity.

I found a pigeon egg on the balcony (with some pigeon poop). There wasn’t a nest anywhere around that area so I decided to take it home. I put it in a cupboard box with a REALLY fluffy scarf with some peices of cloth underneath. I live in thailand so the tmperature is usually hot but I still keep blowing it with a hairdryer from time to time. Is this right?
Lisa
P.S- Please write back as soon as possible!

Hi,
I found a pigeon egg from a pair, they were taking turns on sitting on them. the egg was in our curry leaves plant pot, on the soil. so like my mom placed a cloth under it. then after two days, another egg was laid. as the plant needed water, we shifted the eggs to another pot not used and furnished it with cloth and twigs. but now the pigeons have abandoned it now. both eggs are fertile. the pigeons sometimes r seen but not around the eggs. thr is no nest. they seem to busy grooming themselves, while the eggs lay there. i need help. i want to take care of them.

Hi. i have just found three pigeon eggs one off them is going grey at the bottom side but the other two are a pale/white i have put them in a shoe box with cotton wool and tissue and put that into the airing cupboard will they be okay?

hi, i have 2 eggs in my brd house. i thought they werefrom a pigeon but cos there were pigeon feather iside it but they were small buley grey and had freckles, do u know what breed it is? and how do look after them because i think i saw their mum or dad in my neighbors cats mouth…

Hi Amy,
Thanks for visiting farmingfriends and leaving your comment.
I think you have had a good idea for keeping the egg warm. The temperature in the incubator for pigeon eggs is 99.5 – 100.5 degrees fahrenheit. The humidity level (wet bulb thermometer) for pigeon eggs is 84-88 degrees fahrenheit. The incubation period for pigeon eggs is 17 days and the final day of egg rotation for pigeon eggs is day 15.
Hope this helps.

I found a pigion egg and what i did was i filled a box with straw and then put a hot water bottle in to keep the egg warm. Is that a good thing to do? What temperature do you have to keep them at?
Many thanks

i found 2 eggs there was no nest so i cept them i have no incubate or light toceap them warm so i got a heat bag to warm what should i do to ceap them worm i cant ceap waming the heat bag up because i go th school and i cant tell mum to she is all ways out and i cant by an incubate if thay do hach what should i feed them and how do i now if thay are alive thank u

i have found an egg on my balcony and the pigeons have not been sitting on it, i did put it back in the nest but it keeps getting chucked out for some reason, there was 2 but one went missing. i picked the egg up and have kept it warm but it seems to be sweating and unsure what thats means. she also laid others eggs on my balcony a while ago, they both hatched but one didnt survie. the one that did is still on my balcony and was wondering if this is normal or if the pigeon is stuck. i have been feeding it and giving the pigeon water.

We have a pigeon nest on our balcony with 2 chicks that hatched about 4-5 days ago. There is only one pigeon with the chicks, and she never seems to leave them so i was just wondering if it would help if we provide her with a little food for herself to keep her going! We are not interfering with them at all and she is doing a fantastic job looking after them, but we put out a slice of bread for her yesterday and she polished the lot off in a few hours!

Hi Sara thanks for your information about the egg.I used damp wool and the egg seems to have changed colour!!!!!!thank you so much for your help and hopefully the egg will hatch in 17 days thanks,Clodagh

Hi Clodagh,
You sound like you are doing everything you can for the pigeon egg. Pigeon eggs take 17 days to hatch and need a temperature of 99.5 – 100.5 degrees F. So I would check the temperature as fluctuations in temp can stop the hatch. You also need to create some humidity which you can do with a damp cloth in the box. The egg also needs to be turned about four times a day until a few days before hatching.http://farmingfriends.com/incubating-pigeon-eggs/
Hope this helps.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends

You need to keep the egg warm until the chick hatches. I would put it in a box with a towel or straw in the box and place in the airing cupboard.You could check the temperature to see if it is around 99.5 degrees fahrenheit, you can also put in a damp face cloth or dish cloth to get the humidity and just keep making sure the cloth stays damp.
Alternatively you could put the egg in a box under a lamp and again I would check the temperature. I think that the airing cupboard is a good idea if you can achieve the correct temperature.

When the chick is born it will want water and you can feed it chick crumbs mixed with water to make a mash.

HI I found a pigeons egg on the ground.I have wrapped the egg up in cotton wool and have it in a little box.At night i put it near the fire put not that close.Over night i leave it in the airing cupboard.Sometimes i candle the egg and i see something moving inside it.Is this the right thing im doing??i will check your comment tomorrow thanks,Clodagh…

Hi, After just cutting down a tree I’ve found a pigeon egg and chick. The nest is no more and the egg is slightly broken (but still intact). The chick seems fine. Where is the best place to keep it / food to feed it?
Thanks,
Anthony

Can you put the eggs back in the hedge? If so I would locate the nest in the hedge and put them back but if not then I would try to check if the eggs are fertile.

You can check that an egg is fertile by candling the egg.

Candling is a way of checking the fertility of an egg and the development of the embryo, with the use of a light source in a darkened room. In a darkened room, carefully hold the egg up to the light to observe the contents of the egg.Here is a link for more information about candling eggs.http://www.farmingfriends.com/candling-eggs/

If the egg is fertile and has veins/embryo development showing inside then I would incubate the egg or find someone who is able to do this, or keep the egg under a lamp as and regularly turn it.

You could put the egg in a box and place in the airing cupboard. You need to check the temperature to see if it is around 99.5 degrees fahrenheit, you can also put in a damp face cloth or dish cloth to get the humidity and just keep making sure the cloth stays damp. I wouldn’t put the damp cloth around the eggs just near them so that it creates the humidity.

i have just recently found 2 pigeon eggs while cutting my hedge with my neighbour what is the best thing to do please leave a comment on this website and i will check up again tommorow at the moment the eggs are in a shoe box with shredded paper and tissue but the egg is wrapped in a damp cloth under a light which is under my bed please reply a.s.a.p as do not know what to do …… from lee and kieran

Candling is a way of checking the fertility of an egg and the development of the embryo, with the use of a light source in a darkened room. In a darkened room, carefully hold the egg up to the light to observe the contents of the egg.Here is a link for more information about candling eggs.http://www.farmingfriends.com/candling-eggs/

If the egg is fertile and has veins/embryo development showing inside then if you are able to put the egg back into the nest then I would try to do this, otherwise I would incubate the egg or find someone who is able to do this, or keep the egg under a lamp and regularly turn it.

You could put the egg in a box and place in the airing cupboard. You could check the temperature to see if it is around 99.5 degrees fahrenheit, you can also put in a damp face cloth or dish cloth to get the humidity and just keep making sure the cloth stays damp.
Alternatively you could put the egg in a box/bucket under a lamp as you are already doing and again I would check the temperature. I think that the airing cupboard is a good idea if you can achieve the correct temperature.
Then in around 17 days the egg may hatch out. here is a link for info about temperature and humidity levels. http://farmingfriends.com/incubating-pigeon-eggs/

I would probably contact my local animal santuary or RSPB (UK) to find out advice from them.